By Rachael Pfenninger, Project Manager AMBA Although nearly 90% of mold builders report that current business conditions are positive in the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) 2020 Business Forecast Report, several business indicators shifted significantly when compared to last year’s data. Amid rising challenges related to increased foreign competition and maintaining … [Read more...] about Economic Indicators Forecast Uncertainty

By Cynthia Kustush, contributing writer The American Mold Builder Mold building shops are facing a lot of pressures these days – both internal and external. Shortened delivery times, continued pricing pressure from Chinese mold suppliers, new employees without significant shop floor experience replacing retiring seasoned employees and reduced tooling demand in certain … [Read more...] about CAD/CAM Offers More Efficiency, Connectivity and Precision

By Lara Copeland, assistant editor The American Mold Builder In 1965, when Chicago suburb Aurora, Illinois, was a midsize manufacturing city, Craftsman Tool & Mold opened its doors to create precision stack mold bases and rotational spin stack mold bases for the multi-shot injection mold industry throughout North and South America. Today, as a market leader in custom mold … [Read more...] about Customized Software Spurs Shipping Efficiency at Craftsman Tool & Mold

By Brittany Willes, writer The American Mold Builder In 2019, the manufacturing industry jumped head on into the next industrial revolution – also known as Industry 4.0 – with technology investments totaling $59 billion (US), according to ABI Research. Manufacturers are embracing technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, cloud-based simulation and other … [Read more...] about Moldmaking 4.0: Evolving Technologies in the Molding Industry

By Brittany Willes, contributing writer The American Mold Builder “I retired when I was 50. Around the second year of my retirement, my wife famously said to me, ‘I married you for good or bad but not for lunch. Go do something,” Don Dumoulin explained with a laugh. Dumoulin took his wife’s words to heart and began looking at various companies for a possible acquisition. He … [Read more...] about Fostering a New Business Model at Precise Tooling Solutions

By Omar S. Nashashibi, Founding Partner The Franklin Partnership There is a saying in Washington, D.C.: “If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re on the menu.” But sometimes, you’re just caught in the middle, as are America’s mold builders today between a president supportive of manufacturing and customers demanding lower-cost imports from China. As a lobbyist for … [Read more...] about Molds in the Middle: Trump vs. China